Stalwart
by EmilineVance
Summary: DenmarkxSweden randomness involving a Peter, a sauna, and a donkey. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Yay~ story number two! Maybe I'll actually get a review for this one. -ahem- But yeah, this is just a random story of things involving Denmark and Sweden and other random characters. Sorry it's not very long...But, some disclaimers, of course. One, I do not own Hetalia or any of the other things I mention. I just like to play with them for fun. Also, this will hopefully become yaoi towards the end of it, so if you don't like that, I would recommend you not read and thing past this chapter.

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Icy aqua eyes met hard blue ones as the two men crashed together once again, the ringing sound of steel and the hollow thump of wood filling the air. The shorter man grunted as the other pushed him away, his legs fighting to support him as he lost still more ground. He gripped his sword tighter as he tossed aside the red, wooden shield, a low growl grating in his throat.

"T'kin' tha offense ag'n, I see." The tall platinum blonde chuckled gruffly and took an easy stance. His languid posture belied the tense muscles just under the surface; sinewy and stalwart, his practiced body was never completely off guard. This was just a dance to Berwald, one with steps that had been played out over and over again for centuries. He loved to get a rise from the Danish man now and again. Niels was rarely ever passionate about anything anymore; the only emotion he could ever seem to coax out of him lately was anger.

The not-quite-as-tall Dane narrowed his eyes at his long-time sparring partner. "One of us has to! You're always do damn slow…" He took up a fighting stance once more, holding his heavy broadsword with both hands for more power.

The usually cheerful Dane was not in a good mood today. Over the course of a week, boredom had turned to frustration which had now in turn turned to irrational rage. Somehow fighting the challenging Swede always made him feel better. He regained his posture and concentration before he stepped one slow pace forward, then rushed at his opponent, the flashing weapon raised high over his head.

The Swede immediately re-tensed, raising his shield to deflect the strong blow, his arm straining to hold the other's sword at bay. He stepped aside to strike from a new angle but the angry Danish man had already turned to face him and their swords met once more in a cacophonous sounding of welded metal sliding over welded metal. They struggled for a few moments at a standstill but then broke away and stepped back, each breathing heavily.

"Slow, maybe. Bu' ya h'ven' been able to beat me since that time. The Great N'rthern War…and ev'n then ya still didn' get all ya wanted." He smiled almost teasingly as he took a few deep breaths, clouds of smoke forming in the bitterly cold air.

"Don't mention that, Oxensteirna. You know I should have won then…you were too strong. And I have hurt you many times since then." His eyes harden, the tip of his decades-old sword dragging a line in the soft soil as he circles the bespectacled Swedish man.

"We both were…" An odd expression flickers across the Swede's face for a moment before he once again raises his sword and shild in defense of the attack he knows is coming.

The Dane looks confused momentarily before resuming his attack against Berwald, 35 inches of tried-and-tested steel crashing down onto a quickly raised shield. A crack is heard as the hardened wood begins to split, chips of blue paint raining onto the musty earth below; Niels' mouth curves into a grin at his apparent victory. The Swede, however, deftly flips his hand's grip on his own 40 inch sword, swinging the heavy brass pommel against the Dane's shoulder.

A shout and a step back follows the sickening crunch of metal on bone, a stream of Danish obscenities fluttering from lips on a face that has gone pale from shock and pain. He grimaces and holds his fractured right shoulder with his left hand, his discarded sword now lying on the ground in front of the taller man's feet. "Ber, you ass…"

The Swede's face goes blank as he steps back, discarding his sword and shield as well. "Didn' mean at hit ya so hard. I was…'ngry." He moves toward the Dane, concern threatening to breach the surface of his characteristically stoic face. "C'me back to tha house…" He takes his other's elbow, leading his towards the back door through a worn trail in the forest where they had been practicing.

Niels' face flexes in confusion as he cradles his injured arm to his chest (this is now a familiar procedure to him). "You weren't angry, I was. You were…something else." He frowns at being led, but allows the Swede to walk him to the back door.

Inside Berwald's kitchen it is neat and stark; nothing is there that isn't necessary. Oddly enough, a fully equipped first aid kit is necessary. After gesturing for the injured Dane to sit at the table, the impromptu medic goes to the cabinet, retrieves the med kit, and begins to take out the things he needs. He sits down next to Niels and begins to calmly but firmly treat the surface cut of the wound. His mind wonders as he applies honey and gauze, thinking of all the other times he and the Dane had sat at the table doing this exact same thing, though sometimes in each other's place. However, he then began to think of all the times that he had caused such pains purposefully, in hate and anger - the times they had been against each other. It had not been a good history with these two.

"There. Jus' wear this sling 'ntill it heals. A d'y or so." He hands the Dane a sling for his arm, helping him to put it on slightly awkwardly, not noticing the Danish man who is now smiling at him. "Really, 'm s'rry…"

"Ha, it's fine. I broke your hand last week remember?" Niels grins and shrugs his good shoulder. "We both know the risks of practicing with real swords. People get hurt."

"I know. I've seen men die, just as you have." His brows furrow in concern or pain. "But it's nice to see you back to you're old self for a bit."

"Huh? What do you mean?" The Dane's head tilts to the side, messy blonde hair falling over his eyes.

"I-I jus' mean…you've seemed a bi' d'wn lately. No' like yerself. Ya don' even drink anymore." He says this all with a slightly concerned but honest face, leaning back in his chair to look at Niels from across the table.

"Heh, I guess you're right. I couldn't really tell you what or even if anything's wrong though. I jus' feel…off." Now the Dane leans back in his own chair, further tipping it back to balance on the back legs of the chair.

Berwald looks at Niels' actions a bit critically but decided to let it go. "W'll, what 'ave ya been doin' lately?"

Thin blonde brows come together as he tries to recall the last week. What had he done? "Well…not much. Played some video games, watched shark week, texted Prussia and America, and came over here today."

"So tha only p'ple you've actually seen all week are me an' Peter?" Berwald's adoptive son Peter (whom he now only had partial custody of since that thing with Finland that we won't mention) came over a few days a week after school, and today was one of those days. For some odd reason, the young man really seemed to look up to Niels Hensen.

"Well, yeah." He shrugs his left shoulder.

"Tha's pr'lly why ya're so 'off'. 'S not good fer a man at jus' be by 'imself all tha time."

"True…but my house if so far away…" His voice takes on a whiney quality as he sinks down into his chair. The Dane was right though. For some reason unbeknownst to the rest of their little community, he lives quite a few miles out of town. Sweden's theory though was that he liked to have loud parties. And if you live in the country like Niels does, such things are less likely to be noticed.

"Well, why don't ya move here a while. Stay wit' a fr'nd."

"Ah, well…Prussia stays with Germany, so that wouldn't work…America! Yeah, and his brother what's-his-name!" The Dane's eyes light up at the prospect and he immediately takes out his cell phone. He presses a few keys and soon Sweden starts to here one half of a conversation. "Hey, what's up? Alfred Fuckin' Jones! …yeah, dude, I was just wondering if I could maybe stay with you for a few days or something'. I need to get out of the house. Oh, right, forgot about him. …Ya sure?" A loud yell is heard from the other end; something along the lines of 'It's my house too!'. "Okay, man, I understand. Thanks anyways. Bye."

The Swede looks the other man's unhappy expression and slumped posture(again…), and assumes the worse. "No?"

"No." The Dane's face is now crestfallen and he is staring at the floor, his hair shading his eyes.

"Well, ya c-" Berwald is suddenly interrupted by the sounds of quick footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Papa, I finished my homework!" Peter walks into the kitchen, school uniform still on, sans tie and jacket. He spots the two older men and walks over to sit down at the table with them. "Papa, what did you do to Mr. Hensen now…?"

"Br'ke 'is should'r…" He looks away, slightly guilty, possibly embarrassed.

"I'm fine, kid! No worries." He reaches over with his left arm and ruffles Peter's hair.

"Okay then…" He smiles at his role-model's affections. "So what else is happening?"

"Well, I was planning on staying in town for a few days, but now I guess I'll just go back.", replies the still slightly let down Danish man. "America was going to let me stay over but apparently his brother has some problem with me…got no idea why… Hm…"

Peter thinks for a moment, his face screwed up in puerile concentration. Then: "You could stay with me!" He beams and turns to Berwald. "Please, papa? I hardly ever get to see Mr. Hensen!"

A war of emotions take place just beneath the surface of his façade - doubt, hope, anxiousness, and potential regret all squirming together in a roiling mass of uncertainty… But not wanting to be rude and not wanting to disappoint his obviously excited son, he sighs and replies: "I suppose. But, Niels, please don't be a bad influence."

(And thus is how Denmark came to stay in Sweden's house as a guest.)

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Thanks for reading~ hope you liked it. ^.^ more coming soon.

-Emiline Vance


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, it's me again! I actually updated this, yay~ Again, sorry for the shortness (the next will be a bit longer, I promise) and this will be a male/male story, so if you don't like that...gtfo.

Also, I do not own these vharacters or anything else copywrited that I mention.

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"Me, a bad influence?" Niels laughs and leans back in his chair again, this time almost falling over. "Whoa!" He quickly regains his balance but not before receiving a discerning glare from the Swede across the table. Peter laughs at seeing this and stands up from his chair, a large smile on his face.

"Come on, Mr. Hensen, come see my room!" The young man leads Niels through the house to his room at the far end of the upstairs hall.

As Niels looked around, he suddenly realized that he hadn't seen that much of their house before. He had gone into the kitchen and the living room, but he saw an office and a formal-looking dining room down stairs that he thought he had never seen before and he knew he had never been upstairs at all. He supposed that he just didn't know the two of them that personally, especially the forbearing Swedish man.

When they had climbed the stairs to the second floor, they were preseented with an open, carpeted hallway which had a plant on an ornate table facing aforementioned stairs. As the Dane and Sealander walked down the hall, Niels noticed that two of the three doors on this floor were left open, while a third was closed. After peering inside, he saw that the first appeared to be a large library with a piano in one corner, and the door on the end that they were walking towards was Peter's. It was Berwald's that was closed then…

"Niels? You've never been in my room before have you?" The young man opened the door the rest of the way, walking in and inviting the Dane to follow.

"Huh? Oh, no I haven't." He stepped in after Peter, looking around at the unnaturally clean room (he was the son of England and the adopted son of Sweden though, so though he was a teenaged boy, this shouldn't have surprised the Dane). There was a small bookcase and dresser against one wall, while a closet and the young man's small bed was on another; large windows took up most of the third wall while the wall that held the door had only a small table with a phone and a model of a dragon (he apparently shared Arthur's love of the supernatural too). The furniture was a light wood and the room was decorated in a nautical theme, so it looked quite cheerful. "I like it though!"

Over the next few hours, Peter Kirkland grew to admire his older friend quite a bit more as he discovered that they liked all of the same comics and games, the latter actually owning all of the ones that Peter did and quite a few more.

~A bit later that afternoon~

The three men sat in Berwald's car, driving out to Niels' house to get his things for the week. It was a bit of a drive (30 minutes approximately), but Berwald didn't mind; he loved driving in the country of the Northern city where they lived. Berwald, of course, was driving (as he wouldn't let anyone else get behind the wheel of his beautiful Koenigsegg), and Peter and Niels were in the back playing Ghost Recon on Niels' shiny new PSP. Peter wasn't exactly sure why he wanted to come along, but his friend Niels was there, so why not. Peter had come to enjoy his time with the outgoing Danish man. While he was often obnoxious and did drink quite a bit on occasion, like the small 12-year-old, he was very enthusiastic about things despite having a relatively small country (well, small compared to Papa) and Peter could tell that he had a good heart.

"Shoot him, shoot him!" Niels yelled, causing Peter to flinch and focus his attention on the video game once more and causing Berwald to glance back at the duo via the rearview mirror. The corners of the Swede's mouth turned up almost imperceptivity as he looked at his son and his…well, friend having fun. …He really did just like seeing them happy. He remembered a time when he was happy, with Tino, when things were a bit simpler. Sometimes he missed his 'wife' and the life they had; Tino was a sweet and caring person and was a wonderful mother figure for Sealand. But alas, Sweden all-too-quickly realized that he was growing bored with the smaller man. He was so reserved all of the time and always so submissive…It was a bit unnerving having someone that always agreed with you as a lover.

As he turned onto a lesser-used road, Berwald worryingly noticed a few small patches of black ice shining in the center of the road. He slowed his speed to twenty and turned the headlights on, though it was hardly dark. In the back, Peter noticed the decrease in speed and looked back up from the glowing screen of the game.

"Papa, is there anything wrong?" At the sound of Peter's slightly worried voice (and the pause screen), Niels finally looked up from the game as well and the trio notices a smattering of large snowflakes falling outside. The already chilled roads began to collect the problematic slush immediately and Sweden slowed his driving even more.

"Well, Peter, nothin' is wrong ye'. Bu' I'm startin' ta no' like the chances of us gettin' back home." He pulled into the Dane's jostling driveway, his brows creasing with worry. "A' least we're here. Bu'…I th'nk we migh' have ta stay tha night." He parked his silver car next to Niels' red one(Berwald had given him a ride over earlier) and stepped out, pulling his dark blue coat close against the cold. He opened the door for his son and turned to face the Dane over the roof of the car. "Is tha' okay wi' you?"

The Danish man had now also stepped out of the car and was tucking his PSP into a large secret jacket pocket. He heard Berwald's words and looked up, thinking silently. Well…his house was a mess and he didn't really have a lot of food, but the quiet little logical part of his brain told him it would be very unwise to try to drive back to the others' house, especially after having stayed here long enough for him to get ready, so he smiled at the father and son and told them: "Oh, sure! I love guests!"

"Yay, I've never spent the night here!" Peter was beaming at this change of events, but shivering slightly. "Papa, Mr. Hensen…can we go inside?"

The Dane nods quickly, not because of the cold, but because of the fact that the snow was started to get his favorite coat wet. "O' course." Sweden wraps his arm around his ill-dressed son, walking close to the other two along a path to the porch. Denmark stands on his toes to reach a key on top of the door and finally lets them all in from the cold.

As the door is opened, a not-horribly-unpleasant scent of alcohol and Niels' cologne wafted out along with the warmed air of a fireplace or two that had obviously been left burning. Cups, plates, and a few wrappers are strewn about in random places, one Sno Ball wrapper even stuffed in between the curling end of the ornate stair banister. Said banister was attached to a sweeping staircase that led to a large, open second floor whose open doors suggested bedrooms inside. The staircase glided up from the entryway in which they were standing, which opened up to the living room and dining room, all of which had wood floors, rich colored walls, and bright lighting. These rooms' beauty was only diminished by the sloppiness with which they had been decorated and the disregard with which they had been kept.

"Make yourselves at home!"

(And thus the tables have turned for a night.)

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Thanks for reading~

Emiline Vance


	3. Chapter 3

Me again, with your weekly dose of horrible Desu~ This one's a bit longer, hope you like it.

Again, I don't own these characters or anything else in this story, besides the story itself.

Enjoy~

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~Approximately 11'o'clock that same night~

After a lavish dinner of ramen noodles and pre-made garlic bread in the Danish man's stately but messy dining room, Niels had invited Peter and Berwald into his living room to watch a movie (Monty Python's Life of Brian, of all things) on his 72 inch television. During this time, Berwald had sat rather uncomfortably on a seldom-used armchair(not that he hadn't enjoyed the rather eccentric comedy, he just wasn't very comfortable being a guest in another man's house), Niels had consumed quite a bit of alcohol, and Peter had fallen almost immediately asleep on the large leather couch. When the movie was over, Niels roused the sleeping Sealander surprisingly gently and escorted his two guests upstairs to the bedrooms.

As Peter and Berwald discovered, there are four bedrooms in the house, all decorated with things that a man of Niels' childishness and wealth might be expected to like(for example, there is a functioning pinball machine in his own room, a bookcase full of vintage comic books taking up a whole wall in the room that was given to Peter, and Berwald's room was more like a greenhouse gone movie set than anything else). The first on the hall is the Danish man's master bedroom suite, a rather messy but expensive-looking room with mahogany furniture, blood red walls, and fine black linens on a king-sized bed. The second was the room that was given to Peter for the night, which was decorated in blue and white(and posters of superheroes). Berwald's room was on the other side of the staircase and colored in dark earth tones, calming greens, browns, and blues seeming a bit out of place in the Danish man's house. The other room the guests were prevented from entering without reason(there was a sound of walking in hard shoes on the inside…).

Peter was given bedclothes by Niels and tucked in by Berwald, the young man quickly falling back to sleep in the very large, comfortable bed. After the door was closed and the hall light turned off, the two Scandinavians walked back down to the living room, and a mandatory awkward silence ensued.

The tipsy Dane flipped through channels on the television, his long, thin body draped over the entire couch as his Swedish houseguest sat stiffly on the same armchair as before.

"Hey, Sve…!" The Dane slurs his words slightly, but is obviously still aware of what he's doing and saying. He had consumed six or seven Screw Drivers by now, but he was very used to drinking. "Wanna go to the sauna?" He looks up and beams at the Swede as if this were the best idea in the world.

Berwald's eyebrows furrow quizzically and he blushes a bit on the inside. The Swede had been in Niels' sauna before (it was ridiculously nice), but that was before he had begun to have a silent attraction to the man. Yes, this most improbable of things had happened; the stoic Swede had begun to like the person with which he had fought so often and so fiercely… However, he had yet to admit such a thing to anyone, especially not to himself. "Well, 's a bi' late, isn' it…?"

"No! It's always time to go to the sauna at Niels' house!" The Dane grins and stands up, motioning for the other man to follow. When Berwald doesn't move, the eager Dane grabs his wrist and pulls him to his feet.

"Niels, r'lly…" The Swede tries to protest but is dragged along by the Danish man's strong grip, through the back door of the large house and out into the frigid cold of what is now about half a foot of snow and ice.

While the almost-drunken Dane is obliviously leading him along the stone-lined path, inside the Swedish man's head waves of embarrassment and indecision are eating away at the cliffs of his sanity. A familiar, yet unfamiliar flame was burning away inside his chest, the searing effects of the other man's touch on his wrist not really helping. Berwald was quickly becoming confused at his own emotions, a thing which had rarely ever happened to him before. What is this feeling?

"Ber, you okay?" Berwald looked up from his brief emotional musings to find Niels peering up at him from his two-inch-shorter vantage. The Danish man's tone was light, but a hint of concern was discernable in his face.

"Oh, 'm fine. Jus'…thinking'." He said this with conviction, but looked away, strangely not able to meet the Danish man's eyes just now.

Niels tilted his head questioningly but decided to give his quiet friend a break and not push him further. "Well, we're here." He opens the door to what he called his sauna complex: changing room, dry sauna, and hot tub all in one. It was warm inside so the two of them quickly stepped through the door, though the taller of the two still wasn't entirely certain that this was a good idea.

The two of them start to undress, taking off coats and boots and belts. Niels seemed completely oblivious of the blushing Swede behind him as he took of his tie and shirt, tossing them into a pile with the rest of his clothes. Berwald quickly looked away from the other man's bare back as he took off his shirt and tie as well, folding them neatly and placing them on top of his coat and other things. When they were both in their boxers (besides Niels' sling), Niels went to a bin near the entrance to the sauna to retrieve two towels, handing one to Berwald and wrapping the second around his waist, quickly stripping off his underwear from beneath the fluffy shield.

The nearly-nude Dane glanced over at Berwald while he did the same (out of pure curiosity, of course) and saw the Swede's cheeks flush slightly as he did so. For some reason, he enjoyed this reaction so he decided to survey the man's exposed flesh further, noting that the work-hardened body was covered with a little bit of hair and quite a bit of marks, mostly caused by him.

"It's nice seeing you like this, Ber." The tall blonde looked up at this comment, his face covered in what seemed to Niels to be a mix of shock, curiosity, doubt, and sheer mortification.

"I… Wha-what?", the Swede sputtered, almost losing the ability to speak for a moment there. He also stumbled out of his boxers that he had been taking off, very nearly losing his balance as well.

The Dane laughed heartily and slapped his left hand onto one of the man's shoulders. "I mean with all these scars and bruises. It's nice to know I'm at least doing some damage. You never seem to show pain."

The Swede took a few minutes to think about this, his blush fading but not completely going away. "Don' say th'ngs like tha'. 'S embarrassing'…"

"That's embarrassing? Ha, I could make things much worse for you." The Dane reaches out one lightly muscled arm to grab at the Swede's towel, but the latter quickly steps away, his hands coming to has waist defensively.

"Don' even th'nk about' it." He glares at the Danish man before stepping toward the door of the Sauna. "Are we goin' in or no'?"

"Oh! Yeah, sure." Niels opens the door to the shower room and they both step in, the two of them taking turns rinsing under the cool water and holding each other's towels. Though they had done all of this many times before, somehow it seemed different now, more awkward. The water seemed more sensual and for some reason it was harder to look away from the other person's body. The nudity that was usually so common-place and innocuous in the sauna now seemed to leave either one of them feeling entirely exposed and not quite decent.

"Ah, thanks." Niels took his towel back from Berwald, quickly drying off with it before wrapping it around himself again. The Swede's gaze now moves up from the floor where it had been for the last few minutes and he nods at the Dane by way of acknowledgement.

Niels now leads his guest through a second door to the sauna proper now, dry, 85 degree air pushing out as its barrier is moved. Niels sits on a lower bench while Berwald ops for a higher one, reclining, almost laying on his towel after he spreads it out. Lightly scented water is poured over the stones by the Dane and they both breath deeply and relax for the next ten minutes. This is how it usually goes with the two of them, silent for the first part so that they can just relax.

"Ready to go out? There's a bit of snow on the ground now."

"Hm…? I s'pose." They stand up and go outside through a door on the other side of the room, trudging out a few steps before laying down in the cold, fluffy snow. Denmark flops around, laughing, and makes a snow angel; the Swede calmly scrubs his skin with the frozen crystals and his skin begins to feel colder, but fresher. After a few minutes Berwald gets up to go back inside, but his partner has other ideas.

"Hey, Sve?"

"Yeah?" Just as the man looks back, a clump of snow hits him right in the head, skewing the glasses that had just now un-fogged. He glares at Niels for a few moments before scooping up a handful of snow himself and throwing it right at the Danish man's injured shoulder.

"Ow! The fuck was that for? That's just not right, man…" He glowers in return to Sweden's continued glare and contemplates retaliation, but decides against it; Niels was beginning to get cold. He turns and marches back towards the sauna, the now slightly guilty Berwald trailing behind him.

Once back inside, he sits back down on his towel, throwing more water onto the rocks, stirring them a bit now. Berwald picks up his towel and moves a bit closer to Niels now and remains sitting this time; they usually like to talk a bit now.

"So I told you what I did this week, what did you do?", Niels says, still trickling water over the rocks.

"Oh, well, I w'nt hikin' on Mond'y and w'nt ta see a movie wit' Peter on Wednesd'y, but tha' was about' all. Besides work, o' course." Berwald shifts slightly, putting his hands out beside him on the bench and looking up at the wooden ceiling.

"It's already Saturday and you haven't done anything else? You didn't go out last night or anything?" The Dane turns to face his companion, eyes trailing down Berwald's rather elegant neck before looking back up at his face, which had now creased slightly with disdain.

"Ya know I hav'n' been out since…" His brows furrow further as he looks over at the Dane as well. He hadn't been on a date or really anything else since Tino had left him. "Well, for a while."

"Oh, yeah…" Niels face falls for a minute but he regains his smile and looks back up at the Swede. "We could do something! Like…I don't know. But something." he mimicked Berwald's movements, flushing a bit as his outstretched hand touched the other's. He shook his head minutely, a small gesture of confusion, before moving down the bench a bit.

For a while he sat in silent thought, before sitting up and looking at the other man once more. "We could go out on my boat! I haven't been out in a while. Really need to make sure it still works." He laughed softly and scratched his head. "What do you think?"

"Um…'S pretty cold ou'side. No' really boatin' weather. The l'ke is 'll icy."

"Oh, right. Well…we could go ice skating! We could take Peter and go to the lake back in the woods!"

"I don' really…"

"Too bad! We'll go tomorrow." Niels laughed again and got up to leave, hurridly wrapping his towel around his waist once more. As the Dane showered and dressed to leave, he left Berwald sitting in the sauna slightly embarrassed and very confused.

(And thus is how Berwald got roped in to ice skating.)

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Thanks for reading! And thanks to everyone for 200+ views~

Again this week, thanks to Water Goddess Yuki for her encouragement and assistance!

Lasciviously Yours,

Emiline Vance


	4. Chapter 3 and a half

(A short excerpt to break up the week.)

Of course Peter wasn't really asleep, but as he peered out the window at what was going on a few hundred feet away, he suddenly wished that he was. Papa and Mr. Hensen had gone out to the sauna and now had come out once more. He watched a moment of playfulness and then a moment of what seemed to be regret. Such a thing was odd to Peter; it seemed to him that they were acting like children lately. The kind of children who hurt each other only because they liked each other. Peter was wise beyond his years, you see, and he noticed things like this. One often notices a lot about people when people don't notice a lot about them.

Peter decided that he didn't have a problem with Mr. Hensen spending time with his Papa, but he also decided that he still wasn't quite comfortable with this Nordic sauna thing.

(Oh, Peter…)


	5. Chapter 4

Ah, Chapter 4.

...Honestly, this was only supposed to be 3 chapters long to begin with. That obviously didn't work out...lol.

Here's my disclaimer again, also with an addendum: I do not own hetalia or any thing else here but the idea for the story. I also appologize if you don't like the names that I chose for Denmark, Norway, and Iceland. If they ever get official names, I will change them, but for now, you'll just have to settle for these. Sorry~

(Ohh, this one's a little longer, too!)

...

Even the soft cotton of 1000 thread-count sheets felt slightly rough to his new, fresh skin. The flannel pajama pants he had had to borrow from Niels felt even more coarse, but he was beginning to grow accustomed to the feel of them, as well as to the faintly spicy smell of Niels' cologne on them. He usually disliked foreign scents, but this one was beginning to grow on him, and even began to grow comforting to him as he finally drifted off to sleep.

Subconscious thoughts drifted through his mind for a few minutes before sleep finally found him, and these thoughts supplied him with very odd dreams. He might have been more surprised at them if he had been in tune with his senses at the time.

More surprised, indeed…

...

Blue eyes open wide and he turns over in his bed to face the dark red of the wall. Slightly tanned hands grip the black sheets on his large, comfortable bed as his face contorts into an unfamiliar mask of horrified confusion before his eyes open wide once more. His mouth makes a few silent movements before he finds the ability to speak.

"I couldn't want…why would I…? I was…inside…" He coughs breathlessly and curls up into a fetal position, his arms hugging his legs.

He suddenly unfurls his limbs and sits up. He shakes his head hard, wild hair flying from side to side with the effort of clearing the offending images from his mind.

"Get a hold of yourself, Niels. Ugh…" He stands and paces around the room for a few minutes before getting back in bed to go back to sleep.

"This never happened…"

...

Peter flinched slightly as his bare feet touched the cold of the wood floor, but he knew it did well to wake him up. He stood and shook a bit, then bent back to stretch. He grimaced slightly at the cracks he heard and he stepped forward to look around the unfamiliar room. He hadn't really had a chance to look around yesterday, but now he noticed all the superhero stuff in the room. It was really all over the place.

He smiled and ran his fingers over a few of the shelves of comic books and mangas, laughing to himself. "He's so awesome."

He dressed in his clothes from yesterday, not having anything else to wear really, though he hated to wear his uniform when he didn't have to go to school.

At a knock on his door he looked up, and went over to answer it. As soon as it was open, a soft mass hit him in the chest. "Niels? What's this?"

"Clothes, of course. We're going ice skating today! You can't go in that, ya know." Niels had a characteristic grin on his face and looked like he hadn't brushed his hair, as usual. He himself was already dressed for winter weather, wearing his normal black and red trench coat along with a furry black hat instead of his usual one and thick, leather gloves.

"Really? Awesome! But…I don't really know how to ice skate…"

"Haha, me either. But your dad does, so it can't be too hard, right?"

"Oh, I guess." He looked down at the clothes, probably old ones of Niels. It seemed to be just a black mass of fabrics, but upon closer inspection, there was a sweater, undershirt, and long pants. "Thanks."

"Hope they fit, still had them from a while ago, so they're too small for me." He smiled again and nodded. "Well, change into those and I'll see you in a bit."

"Okay~" The door was closed and Niels walked down the hall towards the other guest room. Unbeknownst to him, Berwald wasn't there at the moment. Down the corner of the hall, just out of sight to the rest of it, a fully-dressed Berwald was picking the lock to the "secret" room. He was a man of many secrets himself (like the fact that he knew how to pick locks…), but he couldn't stand to have things kept from him.

He had heard quite a few sounds coming from the room since he had woken up and decided to take his tools out of his pocket and try picking the lock. As he stood there working the thin pieces of metal, he decided that whatever was in here had to be some sort of animal, and, oddly enough, this didn't surprise him. The Swede had slept in what was basically a greenhouse last night, so having a barn indoors too wasn't much different.

Niels knocked on Berwald's door and, hearing no answer, stepped inside. When he found the room empty, he decided to look for his wayward guest.

"Hey, what are you doing?" At the same moment that Niels turned the corner and saw Berwald, an audible click issued from the door.

"Jus' seein' wha's ins'de." The tall Swede looked over at Niels as he walked closer, a pale hand slowly turning the knob.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" As Niels neared him, Berwald opened the door. He had only few a few moments to look at what appeared to be a very disheveled office before…

Suddenly, Berwald found himself flung back, pain and pressure causing him to lose his breath. He flung his arms out wide, trying to regain his balance, but he found himself falling backwards. Berwald's eyes closed, but after a few moments, he looked around. He was quite bewildered that he hadn't fallen to the floor, until he realized that he had been caught…by Niels.

They both stood there for a moment (well, leaned, in Berwald's case), too confused to move; Berwald's arms were still thrown wide and Niels arms encircled his waist protectively. As soon as Berwald regained his balance, Niels loosened his grip and took a small step back, looking a bit embarrassed, but really more amused. Berwald meticulously straightened his coat and hat, looking a bit like a bird caught in a windstorm. He tried to hide his flushed face from Niels by pulling his hat down over his eyes; he tried to hide the feelings of contentment that the accidental embrace had caused from himself.

Niels laughed and scratched his head a bit self-consciously. He didn't want to admit that he had enjoyed holding the taller man in his arms so he masked his awkwardness with a quip. "Heh…Told you not to open that door." Berwald suddenly remembered how he had ended up in Niels arms and his face clouded with confusion and anger, his eyes narrowing and his hands clenching into fists.

"Why tha hell d'ya 'ave a donkey in yer house? Wha' kind o' an'mal is tha' at h'ave as a pet? Tha damn th'ng kicked m' righ' in tha chest!"

"Hey, he's not a pet! …He's my secretary. He does my paperwork." Niels smirked proudly at this while Berwald just glared at him in disbelief.

In this time, Peter had finished getting dressed and had begun to read a comic (something with the Green Arrow). He stuck his head out the door to see what the commotion was and found that there was yelling coming from the other side of the hall. He quickly ran down and saw his Papa, Niels, and the donkey.

"Oh, awesome!" He ran up to it, and it seemed to take a liking to him right away. Peter petted the creature's muzzle and he nuzzled against the young man's hand. "What's his name?"

"Ass.", Niles said, his eyes glinting with laughter. Berwald, on the other hand, didn't think this was very funny.

"W'll tha's no' very nice..."

"But that's what he is! And he's really rude at times…" As the tall Swede glared at him again, Niels laughed and shrugged. "He was originally gonna be named Ben, but he just doesn't look like a Ben, ya know?" Peter laughed as well and the Swedish man rubbed the quickly-forming bruise on his chest. "Well… Let's go. We're going ice skating today, remember?"

Peter nodded and said goodbye to Ass. He walked out of the room, and Niels closed the door behind him. Three set off down the hall towards Niels' hall closet. He searched through it for a few seconds before finding a thick, dark blue, wool coat for Peter to wear. "Don't really remember why I ever got this…but you can have it, kid. You'll probably get cold just wearing that."

"Oh, thanks!" He smiles and shrugs it on, the coat fitting a bit large just like the rest of the clothes, but not really big enough to fall off or look ridiculous. "It's great!"

"Le's go th'n." Berwald walks the short distance from the closet to the front door, holding it open for the two others.

"Right," they both said, and followed his out the door. They got in Berwald's car and started off on the drive back to his house.

"Got 'em!", Peter yelled as he came quickly down the stairs, his ice skates in a bag slung over his shoulder. Berwald looked up and nodded slowly before returning to his previous actions. He was now kneeling in front of his own coat closet, trying to find his extra pair of skates for Niels to wear. His own were right here, but where did those other ones go?

"Ah, h're ya are." He held up a slightly-tattered pair of ice skates that appeared to have been worn quite a lot.

"Oh, erm…thanks." Niels took them and then Berwald straightened, holding his own sleek pair of skates. The three of them then filed out the back door, heading towards but passing the training area where the two Scandinavians usually practiced. A few hundred more meters down the path, they came to the lake that the Swede and a few of his neighbors shared.

Two of those neighbors were already there; Emil Steilssen and Lukas Tomassen. The Icelander and Norwegian were skating slowly but skillfully, a look of peaceful calm on Lukas' face, while his brothers' still held it's traditional scowl. Peter waved at his neighbors and they came over to the bank while the others put their skates on.

"Peter, it's been a while since I've seen you out here. I thought you didn't know how to ice skate." Lukas had walked over to the young man, balancing skillfully on the blades of his skates while his brother stayed a few meters behind.

"Oh, well…I don't." Peter's face fell slightly as he tied on his second skate.

"I could teach you." The Norwegian gave a small smile and offered his gloved hand to the small Sealander.

"Could you really? Thanks!" Peter took the proffered hand and walked teeteringly beside his new-found friend toward the lake.

"Now you can just teach me, Ber!" Niels grinned and tried to stand, but soon found himself falling back onto the bench. The Swede glanced over at him, laughing silently with his eyes.

"Well, firs' ya need ta teach yers'lf how ta stand." He stood himself and began to walk away, but found himself restrained by a hand grasping his elbow.

"Please help…?" Berwald looked down into plaintive blue eyes, the Dane's lip quivering slightly. He knew it was a show, but he couldn't help feeling a little bad for the shorter man.

"Fine." He sighed softly and held out his hand for the other to grasp. Niels took it and pulled himself up again, wavering a bit this time before finally gaining his balance. They walked over to the lake slowly, Berwald having to grasp Niels' elbow a few times to keep him from falling over. Shakily, Niels stepped onto the ice, assisted of course by the experienced Swede. His feet slipped a bit, but he finally stood on his own and moved forward a bit.

"Hey, I'm doing it!" He smiled back at Berwald as he skated up beside him.

At this moment, Emil skated by, sliding to a stop in front of the two men. He gave a strange smirk and clasped his hands behind his back before saying in a flat voice: "You two make a cute couple.", and quickly skating off again.

Niels struck out to hit him, but lost his balance, of course. After a few moments of flailing about, he dropped to the ground, legs splayed out and a sour look on his face. "Jerk…"

"I-I…" A very flustered Berwald slid next to the fallen Dane, blushing as he once again offered his hand. The Dane took it and feebly pulled himself to his feet, rubbing his back side as if highly offended. He looked at his Swedish companion, at first looking confused at his steadily deepening blush, but then starting to laugh.

"You what, Berry?" He grinned and gazed up at him, eyes twinkling mischievously.

"I…wo'd'n m'n'…", he mumbled, and this time Niels couldn't understand him at all, though it sounded very suspiciously like "wouldn't mind" to the now bewildered Dane. Niels' eyes widened and he leaned closer, his voice almost at a whisper and quite serious for once.

"Whaaat….?" At this point, Berwald decided to remove himself from this quite awkward situation, skating off by himself. Niels tried his best to learn by watching the movements of his retreating companion, but though he did start moving, he didn't catch up for a long time.

The Swede did his best to avoid speaking to Niels for the rest of the outing (even during their picnic lunch), looking at the snow more often than the Dane's face and blushing far more than was his norm. Niels did his best to understand what was happening but he only became more perplexed as the day wore on.

In all, the day went well, Peter quite enjoying his new skills on the ice and Emil and Lukas enjoying the company. Afterwards the two brothers invited the young man back to their house to spend the evening, leaving Niels and Berwald to go home and have soup alone.

(And thus is how Niels and Berwald came to have a very awkward dinner.)

...

(Can I confide in you for a bit? Yeah? Good. Okay, well, I actually don't have chapter 5 done yet... I know, you're so surprised! But it's okay. It's going to be longer still, and I'm sure I'll have it done by next Tuesday. Wish me luck.)

Thanks for reading! (And 500+ hits! I'm so excited~) Reviews, please? =D

Thank you as always to Water Goddess Yuki for her help~

Lasciviously yours,

Emiline Vance


	6. Chapter 5

So, I guess it's technically Tuesday…lol. So here's Chapter 5.

Um…I hope you like it. Yay for awkwardness and such?

Again, I don't own any of this…

Also, this month, viewers from England have now surpassed views from Sweden. You were number two, what happened? And Denmark, you guys need to pick up the pace.

Still waiting for that guy from Sealand…lol.

Anyway, enjoy.

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Diced carrots, potatoes, onions, and peas all went into the pot along with Danish bacon (at Niels' request). Berwald hadn't made this one in a while, but it was an old favorite. It reminded him of his childhood and of his mother, who had passed away when he was very young. His father, Viktor, didn't speak of Ragnhild much, but he knew that she was very smart but very frail and susceptible to illness. All he really had left of her were a faded picture, her wedding ring, and a few faint but pleasant memories, one of which involved her teaching him to make this very dish.

As the pea soup was simmering, the two men sat awkwardly at the table, each trying to avoid the other's gaze. Niels alternated between leaning back his chair onto two legs and resting his head on the table, pausing occasionally to look at the Swede as he made their dinner. The Dane had been a bit surprised that Sweden knew how to cook; perhaps he should ask about it later… At any rate, it was a nice surprise. The smells coming from the pot were quite enticing and he hadn't had good, homemade pea soup in a long while.

Between getting up to stir the soup and adding any needed spice, Berwald simply stared intently at the table, trying not to notice that he could sometimes see Niels' reflection in the shiny surface of the highly-polished wood. He reflected silently to himself that perhaps it could be a _little _less clean…

When the soup was finished and the Swedish man brought two bowls of the yellow liquid to the table, Niels finally broke the silence. Whether it was from courage or stupidity, Niels just couldn't stand to sit with someone without talking; he always had to start a conversation, and this particular topic had been weighing on his mind all day.

"Uh, Berwald?" The Swede sat down and then looked over at Niels, a hint of skepticism present in his demeanor. He had been avoiding the discussion which was undoubtedly coming since this morning - well, if he was honest with himself (though he often wasn't), he had been avoiding it for much longer.

"…Yes, Niels?"

"I want…no, I need to ask you something." His expression was serious, though a little nervous.

"Oh…Wha's tha'?" Berwald can't help but fidget as he uneasily ate a few spoonfuls of soup.

"Well, it's not so much of a question as just a topic, you know?" Niels swallows a bit of soup and sighs. Sometimes he really regretted not being able to be silent like the taller Swede; words just seemed to come out of his mouth sometimes and he really had no way to stop them.

"Righ'." The Swedish man's hand started to waver a bit now as he brought his spoon to his lips. He was anticipating the worst.

"I've just been confused about…us over the last couple of days. You seem different. Like, not quite yourself." Niels' expression is confused, but his voice seemed sure. He runs his fingers through his hair a few times - a nervous habit. "We usually fight a lot, but lately you've been doing anything you can to get along with me. I mean, we've even been spending time together and you let me stay in your house and borrow your skates. …I just don't know what to think right now."

Berwald blinks a few times, almost stunned that Niels would just come out and say things like that. It was true though. Berwald had been having tumultuous feelings about Niels for a few months now (honestly, about half a year), but just recently had he even begun to admit this to himself. He was still very confused, but at this point, he was quite sure he was falling for the man that sat across from him. "I…don' w'nt ta fight with you 'nymore… I…don't hate ya, ya know." The Swede bit his lip hard as he looked down at the table. "I-is somethin' wrong?"

"I don't know!" Pain and uncertainty spilled forth in the Dane's eyes and voice as the emotions he had been trying to burry suddenly sprang forth to the surface. Why couldn't he ever just shut up? It was too late now though. "I've been having these…weird dreams about you, and I just don't understand them. I've never really felt like this, especially not toward a…a guy…" Niels took a deep breath, pushed his bowl aside, and once again let his head drop to the table, hiding his face in his arms. What had he been thinking, saying something like that! Oh yeah, of course, Niels…Nothing. What kind of a response could you expect to that, really?

"Niels, I…" Words always failed the Swede at times like this, when they were so important. He could only watch in dismay as his friend had what could only be described as a minor mental breakdown. He had certainly gotten some emotion from the Dane now…

Berwald's mind ran with thoughts of what he could possibly say to help the man, but only one word came through as clear: act.

Berwald slowly moved his hand across the table, sliding it underneath Niels'. The Danish man's breathing slowed to normal, but he did not raise his head. All he did was gently squeeze Berwald's hand. After a few minutes, a muffled voice came from under the arm that was still wrapped around its owner's head. Berwald tried to move closer to hear him, sliding his chair around the table a bit.

"Wha'? Didn' really un'erstand…" The sentence was left unfinished since, right in the middle of it, Niels decided to sit up once more. His cheek was red where it had been pressed against the table, but it didn't seem to matter at the moment.

"I said…I think I…like you." His brows came together in an expression similar to one the Swede wore often. His normally happy/smug expression just didn't fit. He tried to take the words back, tried to explain himself, but he could only sit there, numbly hoping that the Swede wouldn't just walk out on him; Niels held his hand tighter, clumsily intertwining their fingers. He can't leave now, not when the Dane had finally started to feel happy around him; Niles wouldn't let him.

Berwald frowned at the serious expression and sighed. He just wanted Niels to be happy again, all of the time. If that meant Berwald was happy too, all the better, but his main concern was for the once-proud man that now sat next to him so…fragilely. He stumbled with words that would fit and they finally came:

"I f'l tha same."

Niels mouth opened as if to say something and he thought for a moment about what this meant, an expression of near-shock still on his face. He had been expecting anything _but _an affirmation such as this. Suddenly though, he straightened in his seat and grinned, his eyes quite immediately regaining their sparkle. "Well…" He wiggled an eyebrow and laughed softly to himself. "Do ya want to be my…boyfriend?"

Surprise would not have begun to explain the look on Berwald's face. At first, he was happy to see Niels' smile, but upon hearing the question that the Dane posed, the taller man's mouth opened and closed slowly as large, wavering eyes tried to keep their focus on the person before him (whose hand was still grasping his).

It wasn't that this was a horribly unreasonable result from the previous colloquy, because it wasn't. Berwald had simply never been asked this question before. He supposed that it was mainly because of his height; because he was taller, people just expected him to be the one to make the first move. Really, this felt nice for a change.

He cleared his throat and leaned back slightly, trying to clear his thoughts to make this reply the correct word. "Ah…yes."

For a moment, Niels look a bit stunned, but he then grinned his most winning grin and picked up the hand he had been holding, pressing it to his lips. "Don't worry, Ber. I'll be a perfect gentleman."

The Swede smiled mutedly in return, eyes open a little wider than they normally would be. "Tha's wha' 'm afraid of."

Niels answered this with a hearty laugh, but he did let the other man's hand go. After this, they returned to their soup, the no-longer-awkward silence punctuated only by conversations such as this:

"Really?"

"R'lly, Niels."

"Yes!", and the occasional smirk from the Dane to his new consort.

(A bit later.)

"So…Wha' now?" The two of them were still sitting at the table, having finished dinner but not really knowing what to do next. The fact that they were alone in his house like this was beginning to unnerve Berwald. He wasn't uncomfortable with the other man anymore, really…Niels just had this look on his face like he was planning something quite lecherous.

"Want to watch another movie?" Niels leaned forward a bit, an excited smile on his face.

"If I c'n pick i'."

"Okay, whatever. Just don't pick something boring." He stood up, gesturing for Berwald to go first, and followed the younger man into the living room. They stood in front of the Swede's bookcase full of movies (arranged first by genre, then by alphabetical order) for a moment before Berwald reached forward to grab one from the shelf marked with the label 'Horror', an apologetic smile on his face.

" 'S not tha best date movie…bu' 's really good." Niels nods and goes to sit on the couch as Berwald inserts the disc into the DVD player. The Swede then sits down next to Niels with the remote, pressing the play button before setting the thin controller down onto the coffee table in front of him. Berwald had seen the movie before, but films like _Spiral _never become entirely easy to watch. The characters were just too engaging, the ending too unexpected.

As the opening credits came up, Niels smiled and motioned for Berwald to move closer and he confidently draped his arm around the other man's broad shoulders; Denmark knew horror (read: gore) movies and he wasn't really phased by them, and, anyway, he had something planned. However, the next 90 minutes saw the Dane's confidence fade away into mildly-horrified interest, a smug look of "I knew it.", and finally a rather satisfied type of astonishment.

Through this, Berwald watched his partner's expressions with some humor, and he quickly decided that he was quite right; this was definitely not a date movie. Even so, he enjoyed the fact that Niels did apparently like the movie because it meant that they did have at least a bit more in common than fighting.

With the movie over, Niels leaned back in his seat once more (he had been literally on the edge of his seat), his arm encircling Berwald's waist as the taller man slouched to rest his head on the Dane's shoulder. "That was…interesting."

Berwald moved slightly to look up at the Danish man's face. "Ya didn' like i'?"

"Oh, no. I did. …I think. It was just…weird." Berwald nods slightly at this, at the same time rubbing his cheek on the slightly rough fabric of Niels' coat. After a few moments, Berwald tilted his head to look up once more.

"Hm…Wha' next?"

Quite suddenly, Niels' face lit up, as if he had forgotten something wonderful of which he had just been reminded. The Dane quickly sat up, causing the other man to do the same. He grinned and turned to face Berwald, his hand coming up to cup his cheek. He smiled and leaned in close, stopping when his face was just a few inches away from Berwald's.

"C-can I…?"

"Niels…" Berwald sighed and smiled a bit embarrassedly as he realized something quite important about this relationship - he was expected to be submissive. He winced slightly, not exactly sure how he felt about that. Though he knew this was a completely new experience for his Danish partner, it had now become obvious that it was going to be pretty new for him too. However…he liked the experience so far; it couldn't be that bad, really. Right?

As the Swede thought, the eager man beside him did as well, with a slightly more frantic pace. Doesn't he like me? What's _that _expression? Did I do something wrong? Wait, did that mean yes…? I'm so confused! Okay, think, Niels, think. What do you do in a situation like this? Suddenly, an image came to mind…it was Wales. ("Baa means no~") Ugh, no, no, that's not right… Ah, his mother. ("When in doubt, always say please.") Pfft, like that ever worked. Wait…it worked earlier today, skating… Maybe now, too?

Niels exhaled slowly and heavily, as if expelling most of his morals and sanity along with this breath, and leaned forward just a bit more, a bit to the side, placing a soft, sweet kiss on Berwald's cheek. He then spoke this word very sincerely and accompanied with a most charming expression:

"Please….?"

The usually serious Sweden closed his eyes and smiled at this, inclining his head slightly towards the lips of the Dane. Who could resist such a winning expression? And those pleading eyes…

"Yes…O' course."

As soon as he heard the words, Niels' face took on an expression not unlike that of a child who has just been given a very large and tasty piece of candy. With right hand still on Berwald's cheek and left arm wrapping more tightly around his waist, Niels happily moved that last little bit closer, eyes closing dreamily as his lips found those of his partner. Ever so slightly taken aback by his position, Berwald hesitated at first but soon found himself pressing minutely forward, joining his mouth with Niels' as his arms encircled the shorter man's waist.

They broke the kiss slowly, Niels' grin and sparkling eyes a bit in contrast with the other's atypically timid smile. Niels laughed softly at the light blush that tinted Berwald's face and brushed the tips of his fingers over the Swede's cheeks. Of course, this only made his blush darken, his head tilting down to avoid the Dane's gaze.

"Don't do that…! It looks nice on you. Really!" The Swede did not look up, a small spark of annoyance quickly dissolving the flush in his expression.

"Come on, Ber. It's not my fault you look so cute." This time Berwald did look up, to glare.

"I didn't mean to offend you, really. I just…I'm not used to this. I don't know what to say to you, Berry." This time Berwald sighed and leaned onto Niels' shoulder, hugging his waist once more.

"I un'erst'nd…'M jus' no' used at bein' called th'ngs like tha'."

"Didn't Tino…?" Berwald sits up, his brow creasing slightly.

"No."

"Oh…Well, I plan on making it up to you, bær." Niels practically beamed as he leaned in for another kiss, this one a bit more bold. Berwald returned the short kiss, a bit less brashly, but with a hint of passion.

Evidently, Niels took this small sign of consent to mean that the Swede wanted more, as he soon found himself on his back, lying spread-eagle across the couch with a rather lascivious-looking Dane between his legs and looking down at him. Eyes wide, Berwald leaned up to rest on his elbows, the Dane looking slightly confused but respectfully moving back a bit. Berwald had been quite surprised about how quickly Niels was trying to take things (not that he minded very much…); he just wasn't exactly sure he was ready for this yet.

"N-Niels…what 're ya doin'…?"

"Oh, heh. Nothing…" The Dane smiled sheepishly (Yeah, more like a wolf in sheep's clothing…). "I just haven't…been with anyone in a while. Sorry."

Berwald smiled coyly at this, lying back down slowly and motioning for Niels to do the same. The younger man playfully ruffled the other's already-messy hair. That explained it then. Okay… "I un'erst'nd. 'S fine."

Denmark breathes a sigh of relief (he had thought he might have offended him again), and looked up. "Okay, good. But…no?"

"Ne'er said tha'. Ya jus' surprised me." Niels moved up a bit now, incredulous but hopeful.

"So…" He kissed Berwald's lips chastely, his actions belying the salacious look on his face. "Yes, then?"

A moment of self-questioning later, Berwald nodded, now entangling his fingers in Niels' hair. Aforementioned Dane made a noise of glee and immediately set upon devouring the other man's lips (figuratively, of course), a tight embrace bringing the pair just a bit closer. After a few moments of ardent kissing, a slightly impatient Niels decided to stop asking with his words and start asking with his mouth - his tongue slipped out to gently skim across Berwald's top lip, a slim hand moving up to once again caress his cheek.

No thoughts this time - now-damp lips parted on their own, a silent but solid affirmative. They tasted and explored each other's mouths, tongues intertwining and briefly struggling for dominance before falling into a pleasurable rhythm. Berwald's hands gripped the Dane's hair and soon he found that he had linked one of his legs around Niels'. As his breathing began to quicken, the Swede moved away slightly, placing a few more gentle kisses on the Dane's lips before shifting to lie back again, not opening his eyes just yet. That was quite enough for now.

Niels issued a mental sigh as the kiss finally ended; he laid his head down on Berwald shoulder and rolled over slightly, this last movement almost putting him on the floor.

"Whoa…totally forgot I was on a couch." He floundered a bit before getting himself upright, waiting for Berwald to sit up so that he could sit down next to him. "So…"

"So?" Berwald shifted to sit next to Niels again, laughing softly, and the latter put his arm around the former.

"Why did you stop?", Niels said, teasingly. He saw Berwald's cheeks heat up again and he smiled.

"I jus'…didn' wan' ta go any further."

"Why…?" His voice was a bit whiney; his candy had just been taken back.

Luckily for the Swede, he didn't have to answer that as his phone began to ring just then. "Oh…'Lo, Peter." He blush deepened considerably, but his voice didn't show it. "Ah….okay. Jus' don' g't in any trouble, and come over at get s'me th'ngs firs', 'kay? Righ'. Love ya. too."

"Aw…What did he want?"

"He's, um, stay'n' wi' th'm tonight."

(And thus is how Niels and Berwald came to have a rather interesting night alone.)

* * *

So, yeah….review please and tell me what you think…I believe I may have done this part horribly…

Ah well.

As always, thanks to Water Goddess Yuki for all her help~

Thanks you for reading. I hope you liked it.

Also, if you hadn't noticed, I'm trying to update this every Tuesday…so yeah.

Lasciviously yours,

Emiline Vance


	7. Chapter 5 and a half

So I've decided to put in a little fluffy bit after every odd chapter (or that's my goal at least), so here is your second installment of

**Super-Duper Awkward Funtime With Peter**

Yay~ lol

Um…Two disclaimers this time:

1) Pretty sure you've figured out by now that I do not own Hetalia or anything else in this story except the story itself.

2) I sincerely apologize for my horrible, horrible pairing. While not entirely crack, it is awkward and I'm sorry for that. I just had to… (You'll understand this soon enough…) I also apologize for all the liberties I take in making Sealand's, Norway's, and Iceland's characters. Sealand is more mature (and doesn't say desu-yo~), Norway is more friendly, and Iceland is more talkative.

Also, to clarify things, here is a list of the names and ages of everyone in or going to be in this story:

Berwald Oxenstierna (Sweden) - 21

Niels Hensen (Denmark) - 23

Peter Kirkland-Oxenstierna (he likes to be fancy about things) (Sealand) - (a very mature) 12

Tino Väinamöinen (hope I wrote that right…I got a Swedish keyboard program with åöä, etc! ^.^)(Finland) - 20

Lukas Tomassen (Norway) - 18

Emil Steilssen (Iceland) - 15

Gilbert Beilschmidt (Prussia) - 20

Ivan Braginsky (Russia) - 24

Alfred Jones (America) - 19

Mr. Puffin - lol I don't even….

(Yeah, some of that is made up and I changed one so the next bit is a little less awkward…points if you know who.)

In addition, here is finally the story of what happened to Finland…

Anyway, on with the story~

* * *

"So you guys live here by yourselves..?" Peter was slightly in awe of this fact as he looked around Lukas' and Emil's house. It wasn't large by any standard, but just the fact that they lived here alone kind of amazed him. It was a modestly furnished single-story home, having only one bedroom, one bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen that doubled as a dining room, but it was quite impressive that the two teens had been able to afford it.

"Yes." Lukas nodded as he took of his coat, shoes, and gloves; the other two did the same. "I work and Mr. Braginsky helps Emil out a little."

Peter's face fell at the mention of this name, his boyish face suddenly rather somber. "I see…"

"Oh. Peter, I'm sorry…I forgot all about that." Peter didn't like Ivan, and for good reason: his Mama had been taken away by that man. Of course, it wasn't all the Russian's doing (Tino said he felt more free with him.), but what young person would blame their mother-figure for a misfortune in their life?

Emil went over to put his hand on Peter's shoulder, looking at his older brother with some hardness in his eyes. "It's okay, Peter. I'm sure things will work out for you. Lukas and I never had a mother and we're just fine."

Lukas looked down, muttering to himself. "I am anyway."

Mr. Puffin shuffled out of the kitchen quickly and kicked the Norwegian in the shin. "Snarky little bitch."

"Hey!"

"Sorry to hit and run but I have, er, "business" to attend to. Bye." And with that the puffin was gone.

With Peter and Emil doubled over in laughter, Lukas said something about making hot chocolate and disappeared into the kitchen.

(In the brothers' bedroom, a little later.)

The three of them sat sipping hot chocolate, Lukas on his bed, Emil and Peter on the other. The room was simple and laid out as if it were two separate rooms that just didn't have the wall in between. Emil's half was a bit Spartan but it did have all the normal furniture as well as a bookcase of rather serious-looking books. Lukas' was a bit more decorated; he seemed more inclined to spend his extra money on suspicious-looking trinkets rather than books.

They had been talking about Peter's improvement at ice skating, but Peter decided to change the conversation. "So…this might sound a bit weird, but…. Why are you guys so nice to me? You don't really seem to even talk to anyone else."

Emil thought about this, but Lukas answered honestly right away. "You were nice to me first. I just don't like strangers, but since you introduced yourself so kindly when we moved here, you weren't a stranger to me anymore. You're very easy to talk to. And you have an honest face." Emil simply nodded in affirmation at his brother's words, not really comfortable in adding anything else.

Peter smiled at this. "Thanks! You're pretty easy to talk to, too~"

"Now here's a question for you:" Lukas said, tilting his head slightly. "Why are you always so happy?"

The young man thought for a bit, resting his chin on his hand. "Well…I just am. I know it's kinda silly, because usually I have no reason to…(Emil's posture stiffened slightly at this) But I always see the best of things. I have to, or I would go crazy."

Norway nodded and the three of them sat in silence for a bit after this. After a while, Lukas spoke again. "Hey, you should stay the night. We hardly ever have guests. Actually…we never have quests."

Peter laughed softly but shook his head. "No, I don't want to bother you. Anyways, Niels is staying at my house, and I wouldn't want to leave him alone with Papa."

Lukas raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't worry too much about that. I'm sure they could use some time to…get to know each other better."

The Sealander looked confused. "Do you two know something I don't?"

"I'm sure I know a lot of things you don't, but nothing in the category of what you're talking about. I just think there is something there."

"Where?" Peter was totally lost now.

"Just forget it." Lukas waved his hand dismissively. "And call Mr. Oxensteirna. You'll be fine over here. We have plenty of video games to play and such."

"Oh, okay then~" Peter smiled and went into the other room to call his father.

"What _do_ you know? I know that look." The Icelanders eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh, the same thing you know, little brother."

"What else do you know?" Emil, sat forward, looking at Lukas intently. "You've been talking to the fairies again, haven't you?"

"Perhaps." He smiled oddly. "And perhaps I know something very important about you. But perhaps not."

"Lukas…" The Icelandic teen's tone was part threatening, part exasperated. The older brother obviously did this often.

Lukas smiled again and shrugged as Peter came into the room. "I need to go to my house to get some things. I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Nonsense, we will go with you." The two boys got up, put their coats on again and the three of them walked the short distance to Peter and his father's house.

When they came in, Berwald and Niels were sitting on the couch, as far away from each other as possible. Niels had a funny sort of grin on his face, which didn't seem particularly out of place, and Berwald seemed to be doing his best to hide his expression. Peter didn't really think much of it at the time and his took his guests upstairs to his room.

Peter rummaged through his closet and dresser and pulled out pajamas, a change of clothes, and underpants. He went to the bathroom down the hall to get his toothbrush and other toiletries, at the same time changing out of Niels' clothes that he had been wearing and into a pair of khaki pants and a light blue t-shirt. He then went back into his room to get Lukas and Emil.

"Um…am I missing anything?"

Emil held up a black cord. "Phone charger?"

"Oh, thanks!" He put the phone charger and the other things into a bag. "Now I just need to give these clothes back to Niels and we can go."

The brothers followed Peter downstairs as he went to his friend's side. "I brought these for you." He handed Niels the folded stack of clothes. "Hope you don't mind me leaving you here with Papa tonight.

For some reason, the Dane found this incredibly funny and his laughter only subsided when he got a glare from Berwald. "I'll be fine, kid. Promise. Go have fun with your friends." Lukas and Emil exchanged a smirk.

"Okay then. Good night then, Mr. Hensen. Goodnight, Papa." After Peter had given his father a hug, the buys headed out again, locking the door behind them.

Halfway to Lukas and Emil's house, Peter stopped to wrap his arms around himself. "I knew I forgot something. My coat…guess I need to go back and get it…"

"No…." Lukas said, continuing on. "No need to bother them again. We'll be there in just a minute."

The boy pouted minutely as he resumed walking. "I'm still cold…"

Emil smiled and wrapped his arm around Peter, pulling him close as they walked. "I can keep you warm."

Peter didn't move away, instead moving closer and matching his steps with Emil's long strides. He tried to convince himself it was only because the older boy _was_ quite warm and comforting. It almost worked.


	8. Chapter 6

Here's chapter 6~ Hope you like it.

As always, I do not nor will I ever own Hetalia, or any other brands I might mention. Though I quite wish I did...

But yeah, enjoy~

* * *

As soon as Peter left, Berwald shot a glare at Niels.

"What? I didn't do any thing…" The Dane moves across the couch to sit next to Berwald again. "I mean, what's wrong with telling him, anyway…?"

The Swedish man's eyebrows came together slightly. "I…don' know… Ya're his frien', I s'ppose."

"I don't think it would bother him too much…As long as he knows I'm serious about this." Niels arm comes up to wrap around the Swede's shoulders. "Could we please tell him…?"

Berwald's lips curved into a small smile; just the fact that he wanted to tell Peter helped to convince him that the Danish man was sincere in his intentions. "Okay. If ya r'lly want ta."

"I really do." Niels leaned in and kissed Berwald's cheek happily.

They sat there contently for a short while before Niels struck up the conversation again. "Um…Ber? Since Peter's not here…where am I sleeping?"

The Swede looked over at him a bit suspiciously. "Here."

"The couch…? Really….?" he sighed and leaned on Berwald's shoulder, almost pouting at this point. "Okay…"

"Well, I don' h've guest r'ms like you do…"

"Ah, it's fine, I can make it work. I just…" He shakes his head and gets up to get the overnight bag he had brought. "I'll go get ready for bed then."

When Niels came back from the upstairs bathroom (in red silk pajamas, of course), Berwald had turned the couch into a queen bed. He had tried to make it as comfortable as possible, even using one of the blankets from his own bed. "Tried ta m'ke it nice..."

Niels smiles and flops onto the bed, grabbing a down pillow. "It's great. Thank you!"

"Ya're w'lcome." Berwald blushes lightly as he leans down to give the Dane a goodnight kiss. Niels returns the kiss cheerfully and snuggles down into the blankets. "Goodnigh', Niels."

"Night, bær~" The Swede reluctantly retires to his room, getting ready for bed himself, and Niels tries not to stare at his ass as he leaves.

Hugging his pillow tightly to his chest, Niels quickly falls asleep, aided in no small amount by the comforting scent and feel of Berwald's favorite blanket.

(That morning; 2:49 AM)

Another night, another dream, Niels yet again found himself awake. This dream was quite a bit different though - he had dreamt of losing the hopeful happiness that he had finally acquired. He sighed and tried to go back to sleep, pulling the covers up to his chin.

However, 3:06 found Niels standing at the doorway to Berwald's bedroom, afraid to knock at first, but finally doing so. "Ber...?"

At first Berwald thought the light knock was a part of his dream, but at the sound of his boyfriend's voice, he startled awake. "Niels...?"

"Yeah, Berry, 's me. C-can I please come in?" He hated feeling so powerless, but he just couldn't find solace without seeing the Swedish man's face first. "I, um...I had a nightmare. I can't sleep."

Berwald got up and unlocked the door, pulling it open hesitantly. "'Re ya okay...?"

The Dane's eyes opened a bit wide, not really expecting the Swede to be in his boxers. Berwald looked down quickly, blushing a bit and covering his chest with crossed arms. "...Oh, yeah. I'm fine now. I just...missed you."

"Already...?"

"Yeah, I...I..." Niels stepped forward and eagerly embraced the Swedish man, dragging the blanket he had brought with him. It was almost as if he needed to be sure the other was still there, still alive. Berwald was a bit surprised but soon returned the hug, rubbing the slightly troubled man's back. "Thank you."

"No probl'm, kära." Niels looked up, finally smiling again, and kissed the other man's lips, his hand slowly raking through Berwald's hair.

"Can I stay with you? ...Please?" The Swede looked as if he were about to decline, so Niels held up the fluffy blue blanket. "I brought this back... It smells like you, so I know it's yours."

Berwald smiled and grudgingly agreed, gesturing with his head towards his bed. Niels grabs his hand and pulls him towards it, spreading the blanket he had brought up on top of the other one before getting in. He pulls Berwald in after him, holding the man close as he arranges the covers over them.

"Thank you for letting me stay," Niels says, shifting so that he is on his back with the Swede on his side beside him. Berwald rests his head on Niels shoulder as a lithe arm circles his neck.

"'S fine, 's long as ya let m' get b'ck ta sleep..." The Danish man nods, kissing Berwald's forehead gently.

Niels keeps his word for about ten minutes, but Berwald is slowly roused from the light sleep he had fallen into by a hand on his hip. "Niels..." The Swede's tone is slightly threatening as he looks down at the offending hand.

"Sorry! Sorry..." Niels moves his hand back to it's place at his side. "You're just so...tempting..." Berwald shakes his head, blushing yet again, and they both settle in to go back to sleep.

(Sunday)

The morning had gone well for Niels and Berwald. They had a simple breakfast together and as Berwald went to work, he dropped Niels off at Alfred Jones' house so he could hang out with the American teen and their friend Gilbert.

Niels enjoyed the American and Prussian's company (usually...they could be rather full of themselves), and they had similar tastes in activities. They looked at comics and played games, talking occasionally about recent events and activities. While Gilbert was in the restroom, Alfred brought up a topic they seldom discussed.

"So, Niels, you had any luck with relationships lately? I know you hadn't been with anyone really since high school. What's it been, four years?" The American laughed at his own comment and Niels responded by dealing a shot to Alfred's face via Modern Warfare 3. "Okay, I get it. But seriously, man."

"As a matter of fact, I have. But It's really none of your business." He looked for someone else in the game to shoot.

"Oh really? That's not like you, dude. You don't keep secrets from me." Alfred decided to pick a spot to snipe from and stay there.

"This one I do." Niels grinned wickedly as he came up behind the unsuspecting man's character. He caught a glare from his friend as the American respawned again.

Alfred paused their match and looked over at him. "Come on...Is it someone I know?"

"Not playing this game with you, man." He knew this one; the American was terribly good at guessing things. He played what was basically a game of Guess Who until he narrowed it down.

"Please...? I'll let you pick lunch..."

"Not hamburgers?"

"Not hamburgers..." Alfred smiled as Niels nodded. "Okay, do I know them?"

"Um...yeah, you do."

"Hm...blonde hair?" Well, that one wasn't too specific with all the light-haired people they knew...

"Yes."

"Glasses?" The American pointed to his own spectacles.

Niels grumbled a bit before answering this one. "Yes..."

"Hm...Monaco?"

"N-No way! I would not date that creeper's sister..."

"Um...Canada?" Alfred laughs at this one, wiggling his eyebrow a bit.

"No. Not him..."

Alfred's eyes pop open a bit at this; there was only one person left that he could think of. "...Sweden...?"

Niels looks down at his hands, blushing slightly at his friend's reaction. "Uh, yeah..."

"What? You guys have been fighting for ages! Are you sure about this, dude?"

"Yeah, I totally am. We've actually been getting along pretty well lately."

"Well, good luck with that one." Alfred chuckles softly and slaps Niels on the back. "You did get quite a catch though. He's hot..."

"Shut up." His hand flashes out to punch the American's shoulder. "...He is though." Niels begins to laugh along with Alfred and they soon resume their game.

"I miss anything?", Gilbert asked as he returned, sitting down rather ungracefully on a beanbag chair.

Alfred and Niels looked at each other and smiled.

"Nope."

"Nu-uh."

(5:47 PM)

Berwald never really liked doing this job: restocking shelves. It was tedious and he often woke up the next morning with a stiff back. Though he owned this little store now, he only had two other employees, so he still had to do things like this. At least he was almost done and the store was near to closing.

As he put more packages of pillowcases on the back shelf, he heard the bell ring. He jogged to the front to meet the customer, a friend of Niels', he noticed.

" 'Lo, Mr. Bielschmidt. W's jus' closin' up."

"Yeah, I know. I just need some light bulbs and I'm gone, dude." As per his word, the Prussian headed off towards aisle 3. Berwald took his place behind the counter to wait for him. "Got 'em." Gilbert strode up to the counter and laid down a box of bulbs and a five dollar bill.

"Two forty-seven's yer change." He handed the bills and coins to Gilbert. "Thanks fer comin' by."

"Ah, no prob. By the way though...are you and Niels really, like, together?" He made a hand motion as a grin came to his face.

"Ah, I guess ya cou' say tha'." Berwald smiled rather skittishly as he gestured towards the door. "In fact, I n'd ta go pick 'im up fr'm Alfred's house soon, so if ya don' mind..."

Snickering in that odd way he does, the Prussian made his way to the door. "Right, see ya later, Sve."

Berwald sighed softly as he went to resume his work, soon finishing and locking up the store for the night. He shook his head as he opened the door and started the car.

About ten minutes later, Niels sat in the car beside him as he drove home. "You, uh, told yer friends abou' us?"

"No, I didn't...Alfred kinda guessed it and then he told Gilbert." Niels face held a crooked grin. "Sorry."

"Oh, 's fine, I jus'...wasn't expectin' it. I...though' Peter would be tha firs' ta know."

"Well, I'll tell him soon as we get to your house." The Dane smiled and put his hand on Berwald's shoulder. "...He's there, right?"

"Should be, yeah. Might still be wi' Lukas an' Emil." After Niels' nod, they rode on in silence (Well, except for that startled noise Berwald made when Niels put his hand on the Swede's leg...) until they reached the house.

When Berwald went to open the car door, he found to his surprise that it was already being opened by his boyfriend. "Told ya I'd be a gentleman." The Danish man grinned and wrapped his arm around the Swede's shoulders as he led him towards the door.

"Thank ya."

"Papa...?" Berwald nearly dropped the keys he was trying to open the door with as he flinched, turning slowly to face Peter.

"Ah, hello Peter." Niels took a step back, partially shielding himself behind the taller man.

"A-are you and Mr. Hensen...dating, Papa? He...he had his arm around you..." Emil, behind him, laughed softly at this, sliding up beside the youth to place his own arm around Peter's shoulders.

Niels tilted his head slightly at this. "Are you...?"

A very quiet and slightly unsettling moment passed between the four before Niels leaned up to kiss Berwald's cheek, whispering softly: "Just tell him, Ber."

"Yeah...we are."

Emil practically beamed at this. "Haha, good for you. And so are we! Of course...that is, with your permission, sir." His head bowed slightly.

"W'll, Peter's a bi' young..."

"I'll be nice, I promise. And I won't do anything you wouldn't...at my age."

Peter leaned against Emil's shoulder. "Please, Papa...?"

Berwald sighed softly as he finally resumed unlocking the door. "Fine. But...be careful." He turned and opened the door for the others. "'M watchin' you, Steilssen."

"Oh, yes, of course, sir." Emil smiled and followed Peter to his room once more.

"Well..." Niels said as he sat down on the only armchair in the living room, pulling Berwald down with him. "That worked out well." The Swede floundered for a bit before settling into a comfortable position, his legs across Niels lap and his arm around the Dane's waist. He smiles and leans on Niels a bit tiredly.

"Indeed." Niels smiles down at Berwald as he cuddles.

"Are you tired...?" His hand works gentle circles over the Swede's back.

"A bit, yeah...jus' work, as usual. 'M used ta it." Berwald moved to get up but Niels pulled him right back down, his arms embracing the younger man's waist.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Dinner...?"

"Oh, no. I don't think so..." Niels placed gently kisses along Berwald neck as his hand slowly moved towards his belt.

"Niels...! Wha're ya doin'...?" The Dane kissed Berwald's cheek as he laughs softly, his hand moving back up, for now at least.

"Well...I was intending to...play with you for a while... And then order a pizza." He grinned and tilted his head slightly. "Sound good?"

Berwald blushed and looked down. That did sound nice...but they really hadn't been dating that long and he was afraid how far Niels would want to take things. Besides...they were in the living room. What if Peter and Emil came back down? "W'll...order tha pizza, th'n I'll th'nk abou' it."

Niels smiled largely as he took out his phone to call the nearest delivery pizza place (of course he had the number, silly!). Berwald leaned back on his shoulder, not really listened as the man talked. He concluded to himself that Niels had a very nice voice, even when talking about meaningless things. Perhaps that how he got his way so much... Berwald looked up an Niels face and decided against that quickly. It wasn't just his voice. Niels Hensen really was just an all-over pleasing person to anyone that would take the time to notice it. So long as that someone could also keep up with the man's drinking habits (and he could).

Berwald turned over his thoughts slowly in his mind...thoughts of Tino and the last time they had been together caught his attention for a time. The small Finnish man had left him more than a year ago... He supposed it really was time to move on...and the man who he was currently sitting in front of did seem to honestly care about him. But perhaps it isn't time yet. Well...not for me anyway. It's been a while longer for him...

A solution floated to the forefront and Berwald squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to think of his current position. It could work...

"Okay, thanks!" Niels flipped his phone shut and the hand that had been holding the phone encircled Berwald's waist once more. "It should be here soon. Hope ya don't mind onions..."

"No, that's fine."

"And I got a pepperoni one for Peter. I know he lives here, but the kid is English. He's got to get tired of your food sometimes."

Berwald chuckles softly and he turns to kiss Niels cheek. "Yes, I'm sure he'll like that."

"So..." Niels smiles and kisses the spot right behind Berwald's ear. "Yes...?"

The Swede's eyebrows furrow slightly as he turns enough to face Niels. "No...no' yet." He kisses Niels pouting lips. "Don' worry, Niels. Soon. 'M just no' quite ready fer anythin' more ye'."

Niels frowns slightly but lovingly nuzzles against Berwald's shoulder. "I understand...I don't mean to rush you. You know I'm not too patient though..."

"I know..."

(And thus is how Berwald began to form a plan...)

* * *

Hope you liked it~

Thank you for reading and please review~ Criticisms and questions are always welcome as well as compliments. Compliments are like my lifeblood...I need them to live. =]

Anyway, thanks as always to my personal Niels, Water Goddess Yuki~

Also, a small apology for the next chapter...It will start on Friday of the same week. I love this story and I want to finish it (and I'm sure you want me to finish it too...), so I'm skipping a bit so I don't go crazy. Don't worry, I won't skip anything good. Heh heh...

As a make up present, I might possibly post that chapter a bit early, so look for it sooner. No promises though.

Lasciviously yours,

Emiline Vance


	9. Chapter 7

Hello again~

Like I said, this one skips a bit. But here it is, early as promised.

Also, I am now putting thoughts in italics so things will be less confusing.

Um, in addition...as some of my readers may be excited to hear, this chapter, unlike the ones before it, is rated mature for a reason. If you are not comfortable with sex, namely male on male sex, please do not read this. Again, **this chapter is rated mature**.

[insert typical disclaimer about Hetalia here]

Otherwise, enjoy chapter 7~

* * *

(Friday, 9:17)

"I guess it's time for me to be heading home..." Emil stands from the table where he, Peter, Niels, and Berwald had been playing dominoes. The table was littered with the small, white and black tiles, the game zigzagging and stacking all over the wooden surface of the tabletop. The white-haired young man reached back in a stretch, his back popping a few times, and Peter stood as well. "Thanks for having me over, Mr. Oxensteirna. And it was nice to see you again Niels."

"I'll walk you out, Emil." Peter hooks his arm around the other's and they head off towards the front door.

"They make a cute couple~", Niels said in a mocking voice as he watched to two leave. He chuckled softly as Berwald swatted playfully at his shoulder. "I'm only kidding, Ber. They really do." The Danish man's arms sneakily circled Berwald's waist. "Those two, though", he said, pointing at their reflection in the window, "I don't know about them. Seems doomed to me."

Berwald smiled and snuggled against Niels' shoulder, knowing that he is joking again. They had actually grown quite close over the past week, which is not surprising when you take into account that they had spent every morning and afternoon together for the past four days (and even more that on Wednesday and Thursday since Niels had insisted on going to work with Berwald), as well as the weekend before. It was almost as if they had never fought at all; in fact, Berwald had to think for a while before he could remember a time when he was truly angry at Niels. Even when he did, that event didn't make him feel the same way - he just couldn't be angry at the man anymore.

A loud yawn brought Berwald from his reverie. He turned to see Niels stretching, almost cat-like, towards the ceiling. "Sleepy?"

"Wha...?" Niels settled back into his chair. "Oh, yeah, I guess I am. I've had a long week."

"L'ng week?" Berwald smiled as he stood, pushing his chair into the table while Niels did the same. "Ya've stay'd at m' house an' done nothin'."

"Hey...! I've done stuff...with you." The Dane grins and takes Berwald's hand as they walk up the stairs. "And I've hung out with my friends. Ya know, Alfred, Gil, Peter?"

"Right..." Berwald opens his bedroom door for the both of them and heads into the bathroom to get ready for bed. The two of them had worked out a bit of a routine over the past few days: Niels would take a shower at night while Berwald took a shower in the morning (Niels particularly liked this plan as it gave him a bit of extra sleep in the morning).

After the Swede had finished brushing his teeth, the Danish man took his pajamas and towel into the bathroom to shower, leaving Berwald to change in privacy. Though he still refused to wear anything more than boxers to sleep, he still didn't wish for Niels to see him without them just yet (like I said, things are just different in the sauna). He changed out of his clothes, newly-naked feet hopping across the chilled floor as he went to get a clean pair of underpants. After his underclothes had been adorned, the Swede quickly got into bed to wait for Niels.

After he and the blankets had come to a mutual acceptance of the terms of warmth, Berwald lay there and looked at the ceiling, ever-busy mind now mulling over the past week. _He...just means so much more now... _He sighed and rolled over to face the bathroom where a hint of steam could been seen coming from under the door. Niels always took very hot showers. The hot water made him feel more alive, he said. _I wonder what would happen if I picked _that _lock... _Berwald smiled slightly to himself, mind now wondering to more improper things. _Hm..._

"Hah..." Inside the bathroom, Niels was just finishing his shower. He shook his wet hair one last time before stepping out onto a conveniently-placed rug. He dried himself quickly before putting on his pajama pants and beginning to don his shirt as well. _Maybe not... _The Dane grinned and tossed the shirt back onto the counter. He continued to smile to himself as he brushed his teeth and dried his hair. He looked at himself in the mirror, inspecting as he turned and flexed. _Not too bad, right...?_ A small smile remained on his lips as he opened the door and headed towards the bed.

Berwald looked up at Niels, a bit taken aback at the man's lack of shirt. "Niels...?"The Dane just smiled as he stood in front of the bed, waiting for Berwald to move over.

"What...?" Berwald moved back slowly and Niels slid in next to him, trying to look innocent. He cuddled up close to the other, kissing his lips gently, his hand slowly moving down Berwald's side. "You're not wearing a shirt either..."

Smiling shyly but stiffening a little, the Swede returned the kiss. "Tha's true..."

Niels moved back, tilting his head a bit (which was difficult, since he was lying down...). "Why are you always so...tense? Are you always gonna be like this?"

Berwald blushed gently and looked away. "I...jus' need s'me time. Need ta get used ta you, is all."

"Aren't you used to me yet?" Niels laughs softly and kisses his partner's cheek. "How long did it take you with...Tino?"

"Oh, um... He said..." The rest of this sentence was drowned out by the pillow as Berwald turned into it, his face flushed.

"What? Ber..." Niels put a finger under Berwald's chin to turn his face towards him again. "Just say it."

"Um...he s'id i' mainly st'pped after tha firs' time we...ya know." He blushed again and tried to turn away once more but Niels held him still.

"After you what...?" Niels grins, his face close to Berwald's.

"Aft'r we, um..."

He is closer still now, almost whispering. "What...?"

"Aft'r we, ah...h'd sex..."

Niels' grin significantly widens. "I'd like to test that..." He kisses Berwald's lips a second time, then begins to move his kisses along the man's cheek and down his neck. His lips touch lightly, soft and warm again the Swede's skin.

"Niels...I w's thinkin' 'bout tha' jus' now, act'lly..." Niels automatically looks up, his expression hopeful.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I, er...I know ya w'nt ta..." Berwald flushes again, his arms encircling Niels' waist.

"Well...yeah." The Dane smiles sheepishly, his hand on the other man's waist again. He was a bit apprehensive, but he had been on his best behavior all day.

"I...don' w'nt to...yet." Niels face fell a little more than he would have liked it to, but Berwald leaned forward to kiss him this time, a bit of passion behind the gesture. "Bu' I do wan' ta do somethin' else."

"Wha...? Really?" The Danish man's grin was back and he returned the kiss tenfold. "What is it...?"

_Oh (insert nondenominational expletive here)._

_This is it, Berwald. Pull yourself together. You've seen Tino do it before once. Can't be that hard, right...? I mean, that was a bit different; it was on me...Stop thinking about Tino. This is Niels. The man you've been in love with for the past few months, remember? Wait...I'm in love with him? Yes...I am._

_I can do this...I can. New beginning. Do it right. He needs this. I need this... I _can _do this. Just say the words and show him. And for once in your life, get rid of the lisp for five seconds, please..._

"You'll see. Just trust me, Niels..." _Okay, that was pretty good. Now...don't mess this up... _

Berwald tried to center himself, silence the small part of him brain that still wanted to be dominant. He kissed Niels again, lips parting slightly as his hand slid down Niels' side. As the Dane returned the kiss whole-heartedly, Berwald slowly changed positions so that he was straddling Niels waist; he shifted his weight to his knees for the time being so that his arms were free. His hands ghosted over the other man's body, fingertips just barely touching his chest and stomach. Niels' tongue pressed against Berwald's as the Swede's fingertips found themselves in the shorter man's waistband, teasing for just a moment before returning to their tour of the man's upper body.

_You _can_ do this... _Berwald slowly broke the kiss, lips now traveling along Niels' slightly-rough cheek, along his jaw, and then finally down his throat. He shifted his weight to his arms once again as he slowly moved his way down, ever-so-lightly nipping at the base of Niels neck.

_Holy fuck...is he doing what I think he's doing...? _The Dane tried to keep his body relaxed as Berwald's tongue moved along his clavicle, the Swede's hand now on his upper thigh. He looked up at Niels as he kissed one of his nipples, an appreciative hum coming from somewhere within the Dane's throat. _He's actually being...sexy...! _

When Berwald's tongue flicked over said nipple, Denmark had to bite his lip to keep in the noise he would have made. "Don' do that, Berry..."

"Why no'...?" Berwald resumed his previous actions, looking up coyly.

_Well, fuck._ "It's...not supposed to feel that good..." The Swede just smiled and continued, moving back and forth between each nipple, occasionally sucking gently instead of licking. No one had ever done this to him before, but as Niels became gradually more and more aroused, he really started to wonder why... _And why is he so good at it...?_

Berwald smiled shyly at the gently rising pressure he could feel on his stomach. He turned to nuzzle Niels' chest as he spoke, his hand slowly moving up and down the Danish man's inner thigh. "You likin' this...? Should I...continue?"

"You really need to ask that?" Niels down at Berwald, laughing softly. _He's being cute now... _The Swede nodded and moved down a bit more at that, placing another trail of kisses down Niels stomach, stopping just short of his pants to lick along the waistband. At a happy noise from Niels, he looked up again.

"I've just, uh...Never done this." Berwald looked down sheepishly as Niels' fingers brushed through his hair slowly.

"It's fine. You're...you're doing really well so far..." Niels smiles encouragingly as Berwald pulls the tie to the pants.

"Really...?" As he pulls the pants down, he kisses a spot just above Niels rising member.

The Dane gasps softly and manages a very squeaky "Yeah...", before biting his lip once more. _He is way too good at teasing... _He holds back the urge to frown though as the Swede moves back up to his original position once more, kissing him lustfully. Niels returns the kiss just as passionately but when it ends he shakes his head. "You are such a tease. All that and then n-...ah..." Niels eyes widen as he feels Berwald's hand slip in between them, cool fingers wrapping deftly around his now quickly-hardening erection.

Sweden's expression as he looks down at his Danish partner is one of both concentration and lust. As had been established, he had never done this before, but he tried him best to remember what felt good to him. His fingers lightly stroke up and down the length of Niels' member, his lips going back to the Dane's neck. After a few minutes of this, the Dane began to grow annoyed with the tentative touching.

"Ber..." His teeth were slightly bared as he spoke. "Just get on with it."

The Swede grins, shifting slightly upward, grinding against Niels as he whispers in his ear. "Som du vill..." At these words, a bit of their age-long rivalry (a thing which he had thought to have disappeared) once again flashed in Berwald's mind; a harder bite made Niels' back arch, his hips pressing up against Berwald. He palmed the Dane's erection harder, a slight flush coming to his cheeks as he realized that he was starting to get turned on as well.

When he felt that Niels was sufficiently stiff, Berwald moved back to marvel at his own work. "Ah...quite impressive like this, Niels."

The older man grumbled as a deep flush came to his cheeks. "Just do it, baer..." He looked down at his boyfriend, eyes practically begging. "Please..."

"Yes, sir." A few mere seconds later, with eyes wide and hands gripping the sheets into a bunch, nothing else in the world mattered to Niels but the beautiful man who was making him feel so wonderful. If he hadn't said otherwise, Niels would have thought the Swede had been doing this for years. With every flick of Berwald's lissome tongue over the underside of his shaft, every stroke of his hand over the base, Niels fought back the urge to grab the man's hair and bring him closer. Just when the Dane was nearing his peak, Berwald suddenly pulled away with a last twirl of his tongue over Niels' cock. _Oh, Ber... Please don't do this to me... _

"Sorry..." Sweden took off his already-skewed glasses, folded them, and leaned over to place them on his bed-side table. "I, uh...don' want to hurt you with them..."

"What do you mean, hurt me...?" Niels' expression was perplexed as Berwald's hands slipped under his back. _I don't understand... _Berwald took a deep breath and swallowed, as if preparing for something. _What is he...? _As his boyfriend looked up at him, a look of nervousness and longing in his eyes, Niels suddenly knew what was about to happen.

_Oh... Oh damn..._

Any sense of chill that had been in his body immediately left it as Niels was suddenly plunged into searing bliss. The Danish man's breath hitched in his throat and his hands instinctively went to the taller man's hair now; his hips bucked reflexively as his lover began to do the most marvelous things with his tongue.

For the next few moments, Berwald denied his body's need for air, trying his best to please his Danish partner. He moaned lowly as his tongue swirled over the hot, smooth flesh, the gentle vibrations causing Niels to groan. The only thought that registered in the Dane's mind as he crested the height of his pleasure was: _Shit...he really did need to take those glasses off..._

Berwald squeezed his eyes shut as he took in the last of his lover's seed. _Better to be rid of it..._ He blushed as he looked up at Niels, who was still trying to catch his breath. When the Dane finally returned his gaze, if was with an expression far softer than he had ever seen on the man before. He held out his arms in welcome and Berwald moved up to cuddle with his spent partner. A serenity was shared for a time as their passion-drained bodies slowly returned to normal.

"Berwald, you... That was...beyond words..." Niels rubbed his back gently and arranged the blankets around them. As the Dane's leaden eyes began to droop, Berwald heard something he had not expected. "Jeg elsker dig, min kaereste..."

_He really does care about me... _"Niels...Jag älsker dig också..." Berwald wrapped his arms around Niels and placed a light kiss on his lips., and soon they both found themselves relaxing into slumber.

* * *

Aw, it was kinda cute there at the end. Heh, my apologies to those of my readers who didn't want to read this bit...There wasn't really much other content...

Erm...so, I'm a bit worried I did horribly with this, so reviews would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance~

Some translations (lol, I hope. If you speak Swedish or Danish, feel free to correct me...):

Som du vill. - As you wish.

baer - berry

Jeg elsker dig, min kaereste. - I love you, my dear.

Jag älsker dig också. - I love you, too.

Once again, thanks to Water Goddess Yuki for her encouragement, and thanks to you all for reading.

Lasciviously yours,

Emiline Vance


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